The first couple of weeks of this year have been tough. I say that as I sit in the first portion of the second week. The weather has been difficult, my schedule has been… challenging, work has been chaos mixed with a company car accident, my computer broke, my car broke…

You get the idea.

Here’s the part that’s really, really cool. I just got (and filled out and returned right away) my invitation to participate in Balticon in May. Yes, it seems far away but it really isn’t. This little tidbit was really a bright spot. I get to go to a convention and hang out with all kinds of cool creators who share a pile of the same interests I have. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I’m excited for Memorial Day weekend already.

You should sign up and join us there! http://www.balticon.org/

What are you doing Saturday afternoon? IF you happen to be around the Lancaster, PA area there’s a little event going on at the Barnes & Noble there – and I get to be part of it all!

Check out the details:

FANTASTIC FICTION SATURDAY

I was asked the other day if the new book was available. I was a little bit shocked as it’s been out for a little while now, but I suspect what this means is I haven’t mentioned it enough.

Go and find DOGS OF WAR! It’s available now and you get to read some great stories (and mine too).

The Amazon link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-War-C-J-Henderson-ebook/dp/B00FRVNIDS/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1388716383&sr=8-9&keywords=Dogs+of+War

Or Barnes & Noble if you prefer: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dogs-of-war-david-sherman/1116924300?ean=9781937051051

I’m really thrilled to be part of the whole thing. It’s also cool when good reviews happen:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dogs-of-war-danielle-ackley-mcphail/1117077959?ean=2940148612698

I’m certain I’ve posted about this before, but I believe that post was at least 2 years ago… and on Live Journal (in a separate debate, I’m wondering if I should keep LJ and what to do if I want to shut it down).

So, the time of year for resolutions. Other than the convenience of the calendar, why now? I think it’s an important question. When you want to make a change in your life it doesn’t need to be tied to an arbitrary date on the calendar. Make a change that you know you can live with, even if it’s small.

Many years ago I made a “New Year’s Resolution” to never make a resolution like that again. I’ve been so much happier since then when this time of year rolls around. It is the one resolution I made that I have kept every year. Change, if you want it, can happen any time.

I hope you have a wonderful, happy, healthy new year.

A few weeks ago I had the chance to go to Las Vegas as part of my work. I’d never been there before, so going was a real treat. I wrote a few first impressions while I was there and I’m going to add to them here.

These are the times when I almost wish I knew another language well enough to switch the language settings on my iPad. I always feel like somebody is reading over my shoulder. That’s a little something about being at a convention with a few thousand other people… there’s always somebody there.

Being my first time in Las Vegas also makes the whole event a little bit more overwhelming. The scale of things is amazing.

Let me give you a little perspective. The grey blocks are the representation of Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas (working with engineers makes scale things like this available – yay!). It’s not the place we stayed, but across the street. Check this out:

The yellow dot is my house. The red square is my daughter’s school and all of the grounds around it. It’s huge. That was the most overwhelming part of the whole thing. The folks that run things out there know how to get people from place to place. The only other place I’ve been that worked that well with that many people was Disney.

Scale works well here most of the time… from time to time it works against everyone. The keynote event today didn’t allow early seating. So literally thousands of people were jammed up at the entry to the main hall. Then the fire alarm went off. Then everybody stood there and resolutely ignored it…. Eventually somebody got that shut off.

So, that’s the first impression. There’s more but I’ll let the size of things sink in.

I normally don’t much like when folks make a “year in review” post. I kind of consider it cheating. It’s not new content… but as I’m looking at things I may have found one that I’m willing to consider. The picture here was sent to me by Goodreads. I use that site to track the books I read and review along with the stuff I want to remember when I go looking for the next thing I want to read. I like it – and this picture was something I thought was a neat addition.

Those are all the books I read and reviewed on Goodreads this year. 15 books in 12 months doesn’t really seem like a lot, but it’s not terrible. I have to admit that I don’t update Goodreads as frequently as I’d like – there are actually 2 books missing off this list that I’ve finished but didn’t get posted.

Of all the books on that list above – Neil Gaiman has proven to me once again that he ranks as one of the very top authors for me. His works can just be magical. I also discovered that I missed Jim Butcher. There was something I felt was missing during this holiday run and I couldn’t put a finger on it until I saw a post from Jim about when the next book in his series will be coming out. The past few years there has been a new Dresden Files book around the holidays. Didn’t happen this year. That pointed out that even after 14 or 15 books, I’m still on board.

So there it is. I cheated. What I read this year – the eclectic collection. What did you read this year that you’d recommend?

I’ve seen a lot of stories and commentary about various aspects of this holiday season. These range from the sublime to the ridiculous. I’m going to share one of my own.

It all worked. It’s a small and simple thing, but it worked. This sort of thing just doesn’t get the notice it should on a regular basis.

My schedule is routinely packed. It’s chock full of tightly timed moves that get me from place to place, from meeting to event or school related activity. I don’t have copious free time and I am often dependent on timing between events being just right. Given holiday shopping traffic, this frequently fails to work in my favor.

Last week was one of those occasions. I made it from where I was teaching back to the area around my home, over to the store that has very limited hours (to the point where if you have a job you probably won’t get there), into another shop nearby and back to the house before dinner time and the need to pop back out for another meeting. It was as if I was being guided and I was destined to arrive on time. Perhaps it was my prior planning or the route I picked. Maybe the Adjustment Bureau had the day off (they oppose me almost constantly). Whatever it was, I made it and as a bonus did it without conflict with other people (something else shamefully common at this time of year). I got what I needed quickly, easily and conveniently. I was amazed. I felt even better when I realized as I walked back to my car from the second shop that “limited hours” shop had done what most of us like to do during the holiday rush. They’d closed 20 minutes early (earlier) so they could get a head start on traffic.

This is important to note. There are lots of things out there to be thankful for, or to give thought to, or be outraged about each and every holiday season. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. The things you don’t note. Consider all the things that go right for you, even the little things. Sit back and enjoy the holiday season.

Merry Christmas.